Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
About the Author
Look for More Titles by Cassandra Chandler
Export Duty
The Department of Homeworld Security
Book Nine
Cassandra Chandler
Copyright Page
You are a good person! You know that stealing is wrong. Remember, eBooks can’t be shared or given away. It’s against copyright law. So don’t download books you haven’t paid for or upload books in ways other people can access for free. That would be stealing.
And you’re better than that.
This book is pure fiction. All characters, places, names, and events are products of the author’s imagination or used solely in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to any people, places, things, or events that have ever existed or will ever exist is entirely coincidental.
Export Duty
The Department of Homeworld Security, Book Nine
Copyright © 2019 by Cassandra Chandler
ISBN: 978-1-945702-29-7
Edited by Eliza Sinclair
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used, transmitted, or reproduced in any manner or form without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews.
First eBook edition: March 2019
cassandra-chandler.com
P.O. Box 91
Mission, Kansas 66201
Dedication
For Rob P. — an amazing healer.
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Chapter One
Lily was heading into a trap. She felt it in her bones as her truck bounced along the uneven gravel and sand that led to the small bungalow at the end of the lane. When she was close to the house, she turned off the engine, but didn’t get out of the truck. She needed to plot out contingency plans.
The place looked so innocent. Powder blue stucco—chipped in a few places—and flower boxes in every window, bursting with colorful plants. Palmetto fronds hung above the driveway, as if personally shielding whoever came to this oasis from the oppressive afternoon heat. The house itself was tucked back into a canopy of white pines and oaks.
A bug flew in through the open window. Lily shooed it away.
“Why did she have to build her house on the edge of the Everglades?” Lily mumbled.
A small wisp of a woman stepped out into the shade surrounding her house, her white hair fluffed out around her head like a cloud. Her eyes were as blue as the sky above—just like Lily’s.
“Lily? Is that you?” The woman stretched out her arms and made grabby hands. “Come on over here, sweet pea!”
Lily slid from her seat, dragging her purse with her. By the time her feet hit the ground, she was being pulled into a huge hug.
“Nana Lillian,” she said. “How are you?”
“I’m just fine.” Nana laughed, then pulled back and squeezed Lily’s arms. “Let me look at you.”
“It’s only been a month.”
“I used to see you every week.”
Lily pushed down a huge pang of guilt. Tried to, anyway.
“I know,” she said. “Things at the warehouse have been so busy. Helping mom has taken up—”
“Quit fussing, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Nana waved a hand at Lily, then hooked her arm into Lily’s elbow and headed for the house. “You take things so seriously. I just wanted you to know I missed you, that’s all. I have plenty of company out here.”
As if summoned by her words, a glaring of cats raced out from the house’s open door.
Drat.
The cat treats Lily had brought along for them were still in the glove box. She’d get them later.
Lily was pretty sure she’d learned every word for a group of cats since Nana retired. Clowder, clutter, pounce, glaring. Nana’s house seemed to spawn the things.
Meows and purrs greeted them as the cats wove around their feet. Lily nearly tripped a few times, but Nana kept her upright.
“You’re not doing your yoga, I see,” Nana said. “Skipping your practice isn’t good for your balance—on many levels.”
“For someone who isn’t trying to guilt me, you sure are hitting my weak spots.”
“Oh, honey.” Nana leaned into Lily’s side. “You know I’m here to help. Just…way out here.” She moved her free hand in an arc, accenting her words. “Do you like living in the old loft?”
“I do. But you didn’t have to give it to me.”
“Pshaw. I can do what I want with what’s mine. And now it’s yours.”
They stepped into Nana’s kitchen, a cooler breeze wafting through the open doorway. Lily wasn’t sure how Nana managed to keep her house so cool, but she wasn’t about to complain. She really needed to get the AC in the truck fixed.
Nana poured iced tea into two glasses from a sweating jar. She wiped the condensation on her neck when she was done and let out a little sigh, then handed a glass to Lily.
“Let’s sit on the back porch,” Nana said. There was a gleam in her eye that Lily only saw when Nana was onto a very special find. Treasure hunts, she called them.
Dread curled in Lily’s stomach. Was this where the ambush would happen?
Nana had said she wanted to introduce Lily to someone, and wouldn’t say more—aside from reassuring Lily that she wasn’t trying to hook her up with anyone. A lifetime of experiences pushed back against the promises.
The last time Nana had tried to “introduce” Lily to someone, she’d said, “You don’t have to marry him, just have a little fun!”
Nana and Lily’s mom were both free spirits when it came to…pretty much anything. Lily wished she had half their confidence and spontaneity.
Neither woman shied away from going after what they wanted, whether it was in the boardroom or the bedroom. Lily was the weirdo who always thought things through and had to have a million contingency plans before venturing into something new.
She followed Nana to the porch, a weird mix of relieved and disappointed to find all four wicker chairs empty. Well, except for the cats.
“Shoo. Shoo.” Nana cleared two of the chairs of cats for them. Once they were settled, she said, “Is your mom handling things okay with the business?”
“Of course. Everything’s fine.”
“Then why are you having to help her so much?”
“I get it. I’ll try to make it out here more often.” Guilt aside, Lily really did miss their visits.
“Honey, you’ve got to loosen up a little. Yes, I love spending time with you, but I’m more concerned that you’re focusing on the business too much. Is that really what you want to do with your life?”
“How can you even ask? You built that company from nothing. I’m going to take it over eventually, and—”
“Who says you’re going to take it over? I built it because it’s what I wanted to do. Your mom took over because it’s what she wanted. That doesn’t mean you have to.”
Lily felt her heart skip at the thought. She’d spent her childhood playing among the boxes of rare goods her Nana somehow managed to trade for, buy, or dig up herself. It was like growing up in a museum where Lily could play with the exhibits—as long as they hadn’t been sold yet.
But she wanted to make a difference. T
o help people. She was already brainstorming ideas of how to use the family’s contacts and resources for altruistic pursuits when the company passed to her.
“I do want to learn the business,” Lily said. “And I’ll make it my own when it’s time.”
“Of that, I have no doubt. But the universe is much more vast and interesting than even I ever imagined. Life on Earth is short, and I want you to enjoy it.”
Life on Earth?
That was…weird. Lily wrote it off as something Nana had picked up from one of the books she was constantly reading. They both took big drinks of their tea, then set down their glasses on the wrought iron table between them, moving at the same time. Sharing a look, they laughed at the synchronicity they so often enjoyed when they were together.
Insects droned loudly from the surrounding woods. With the shade of the trees and the porch roof, it was much cooler than the drive out had been. A cat jumped onto Lily’s lap, but she immediately evicted it. Even with the shade, she couldn’t stand the extra heat it was putting off.
“They miss Cyan.” Nana chuckled.
“Who’s Cyan?”
“She’s who I asked you out here to meet. Actually, she should have arrived by now.” Nana stood and shouted, “Cyan?”
Lily let out a nervous laugh. Cyan must be a new cat. Although, Lily couldn’t guess why Nana wanted to arrange a special introduction for this one. Maybe it was super feral, and Nana needed help taming it. Lily was pretty good with animals.
“Cyan!” Nana called again.
“I’m sure she’ll come around when she’s hungry,” Lily said.
“Hungry? Is that a vegan joke?” Nana slapped her thigh. “Oh wait. You don’t know where she’s from yet.”
“Who does know where they all come from. I swear these cats are growing on the trees out here.”
Nana laughed. “Cyan’s not a cat. She’s my yoga partner. That’s her mat over there.”
She pointed at the corner of the living room that was visible from where they were sitting. A couple of yoga mats were rolled up and propped against the wall, including a new one that looked like a child’s mat. Maybe somebody with kids had built a house nearby?
Nana would be a great influence on any child’s life. Lily really did miss coming out for visits. As much of a pain as it was to make the long drive, the conversations always left Lily with plenty to think about, and doing yoga under the evergreens was an amazing experience.
“We meet out here every day around this time and I give her lessons,” Nana said. “Her tail gets in the way sometimes, but we work around it.”
“Her tail?”
Oh no.
The lovely image of Nana mentoring a little girl evaporated in a slew of memories that set Lily’s teeth on edge. What the heck was Nana messing with this time?
Once, Nana had saved one of her cats from an anaconda that someone had released into the woods. It had scared Lily within an inch of her life to see the pictures Nana took with the Rangers who came to pick up the snake and relocate it to a nearby sanctuary. The thing was enormous.
Nana had insisted it not be put down. She’d said it was only following its nature. Then she’d found a sanctuary that had an outreach program to teach people about the dangers of introducing invasive species into new ecosystems. The sizeable donation she’d made had no doubt helped their decision to take in another snake.
“Cyan is such a sweetie,” Nana said. “You’re going to love her. Maybe she’s nervous.”
“Nana, what is Cyan, exactly?”
“She’s a Vegan.”
“A ‘vaygun’?”
Nana walked a few paces toward the trees, shouting, “It’s okay, dear. I just invited my granddaughter to meet you.”
“A vaygun?” Lily repeated.
“Yup.” Nana laughed. “It’s the funniest thing. You remember Sarah over at the Old Oak restaurant?”
“Of course,” Lily said.
Sarah wasn’t someone Lily would easily forget. She had built her business around a treehouse in a huge oak tree. Sarah lived in the loft at the top of the treehouse, and ran a health food restaurant out of the lower level. There was a deck below, with picnic tables that could easily be moved around for community events and outdoor exercise classes.
Lily had been trying to work up the nerve to ask Sarah for help with the changes Lily wanted to make to her family’s business. Sarah had incredible business acumen, and seemed closer in temperament to Lily than Lily’s mom and Nana were. Plus, Sarah knew a ton about health and wellness. Lily had already imagined the two of them brainstorming alternatives if a group of people needed medicines that weren’t available.
Yeah… Lily really thought things through too much. She needed to work on that.
“Well, Sarah advertised that she was expanding her menu to include vegan options,” Nana said. “But she capitalized it on the sign, making it ‘Vegan’.”
What the heck is a vaygun?
“Okay… So, Cyan is a vegan?” Lily exaggerated the “vee” sound when she said the word.
“No, a Vegan.” Nana mimicked Lily’s emphasis, but stuck with her mispronunciation.
“I’ve never heard that word before,” Lily said.
“I don’t doubt it. There aren’t many Vegans running around on Earth yet. But there will be.” She gave Lily a quick wink before turning back to the forest.
Lily’s nerves pulled tighter. “Nana, what are you talking about?”
“My friend Cyan. She’s a little lizard person from the Vega system.”
The ground seemed to tilt beneath Lily’s feet.
“You’re going to love her,” Nana went on. “We’ve been having the best conversations. This world is so new to her, and she’s curious about everything. It makes you appreciate things in a way you’d never expect.”
Lily’s throat was so tight, it was hard to speak. “Nana…”
“She must be invisible,” Nana said. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “You can drop your cloaking field, dear. I promise, Lily is a friend.”
How suddenly could dementia come on? Nana was in her seventies, but her mind had always been sharp as a tack. She was healthier than most people Lily’s age. She took care of herself.
The guilt Lily had been barely fighting off finally won, falling on her in crushing waves. It had been a month since she’d visited. That must have been enough time for Nana to lose her mind.
Nana loved her independence—and living out in the country. But there was no way Lily could leave her out here by herself anymore.
Lily walked over to the woman she’d idolized for as long as she could remember, and gently rested her hand on Nana’s arm.
“Nana, we need to talk.”
Chapter Two
“I must speak with you.”
Rin turned toward the small voice coming from the other side of his exam table. He had to step around the table to see who had spoken.
“Hi, Cyan,” he said. “How are you today?”
The tiny Vegan glanced around the room, her tail twitching behind her as she hunched over. The spines that ran from the middle of her head all the way to mid-tail were standing straight up. Her green scales and the bluish stripes crossing over her back were a bit paler than usual, the contrast against the silver bands of her exosuit not as pronounced.
Normally, she had a tendency to wring her hands together when she was upset. Today, she was twiddling her long fingers.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re nervous,” Rin said.
“Shh. I mean…” She stood straighter, running a hand along the spines on her head and smoothing them back. “I have no reason to be nervous.”
“Uh-huh. What can I do for you, then?”
“I have need of your…specialties.”
He racked his brain for what she might mean. There was no way she needed a field medic. The technology on the Vegan Life Ship was beyond anything Rin could offer in the makeshift med-bay he was setting up for the new
Department of Homeworld Security base in Florida. Hell, just her exosuit made his skills completely obsolete. And he barely knew anything about Vegan anatomy.
“You’ll have to narrow it down for me,” he said. “Do you mean my devastatingly good looks or my whimsical charm?”
Cyan huffed a breath from her nostrils, her lips shut tight. “Neither of those.”
“Damn. I should have known. You only have eyes for Kyle.”
“I am not here to speak of the beautiful Tau Ceti.”
“Tau Ceti-human hybrid.”
“He does not like being called a hybrid.”
She stood straighter, her spines lowered and arms at her sides. Rin may have pissed her off, but at least she didn’t look frightened anymore.
“My apologies,” he said.
“I do wish Kyle would not always uses the emitter Nika designed that masks his natural green coloration. It is so—” Cyan shook her head briskly, then stamped her tiny foot. “You are distracting me on purpose.”
“So, my ability to be distracting isn’t what you need? Because the only ‘specialty’ left that I can think of that you don’t already have access to is my skill at Earth swearing. And if you need that… Well, that’s fucking weird.”
Cyan snorted again, but this time it sounded like a laugh. Rin was learning how to read the little lizard people’s expressions. Cyan was by far the sweetest of them.
Her eyes suddenly crinkled shut and she arched her neck and back. Her spines stood on end, quivering. She held her arms out straight in front of her. It almost looked like she was having some sort of seizure.
“Cyan?” He was just reaching for her when she let out a huge sneeze.
The sneeze alone wouldn’t have concerned him as much, although the build-up to it had been pretty frightening. But her scales turned a pale orange and her green-blue stripes faded to white. She shook her head as her colors gradually turned back to normal.
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